Australians are still underprepared for bushfires. And with fire seasons getting longer thanks to climate change we need to look at why people are still dying in fires, and what you can do to get prepared.

While firefighters battled widespread fires in New South Wales in October 2013, hundreds of thousands of people turned to social media and smartphone apps for vital updates.
AAP Image/Dan HimbrechtsNovember 10, 2015

When disaster strikes, more people than ever are turning to social media to find out if they're in danger. But Australian emergency services need to work together more to learn what works to save lives.

Bushfires such as this one in Western Australia can be hard to predict.
CSIROMay 4, 2015

This summer has seen a predictable share of fires in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia, flooding in Queensland, and several severe thunderstorms. However, there are already…

The South Australian bushfires have destroyed many homes including this one in Greenwith in the outer suburbs of Adelaide.
AAP Image/David MariuzJanuary 7, 2015

Dozens of homes and outbuildings have been destroyed in bushfires that have ravaged parts of South Australia reminding us again how poorly adapted we are to bushfire prone landscapes. With 15 years experience…

Who gets to survive when fire ravages the food and cover of native animals?
Flickr/Alastair SmithDecember 12, 2014

Bushfires are a part of life in Australia, and when they have run their course we pick up where we left off and carry on. But if you happen to be a small animal, surviving the bushfire is only the start…

Victoria’s forest management policies need to be urgently reviewed in response to the discovery that logging can contribute to the severity of bushfires in wet forests, like the devastating fires on Black…

When bushfires start, no one should be more worried than people with disabilities. Recent research shows people with disabilities are twice as likely to die or be injured than the general population during…

The aftermath of the bushfires that swept through the Blue Mountains last October.
AAP Image/High AlphaJanuary 14, 2014

News images of traumatised homeowners huddled in front of the ashes of their homes have become increasingly familiar in recent years. But the question has to be asked - why are we so often surprised when…

People living in the bush can’t rely too heavily on controlled burn-offs to protect their home.
AAP Image/Channel TenJanuary 5, 2014

After the early onset of the 2013-14 bushfire season, it is worth reviewing which homes are more likely to be left standing when the fires inevitably return. One of the most important factors to note is…

Even without the official tally it looks like the fires that started yesterday in Blue Mountains will be the most costly in terms of property since 1968. But how have they come about? Why is the area vulnerable…

Bushfire modelling predicted the Dunalley fires a day before they happened, but that’s not the whole story.
AAP Image/News Limited Pool, Chris Kidd)October 17, 2013

This week the Tasmanian government released its inquiry into the January 2013 bushfires that destroyed numerous properties on the Tasmanian Peninsula. A key finding is that modelling predicted fires would…